Jessica Chastain

With her piercing gaze and a commanding presence, it came as no surprise that Jessica Chastain went from being a relative newcomer to acting in high-profile roles opposite seasoned actors like Brad Pi...
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No matter what your personal ideologies or practices, it is difficult to live in America without coming into contact with Christianity in some manifestation. The most widespread religion in the world has an especial prominence in the United States, regularly finding its way into political discourse and mainstream entertainment. The Bible has long proven diligent source material for the film industry, inspiring movies both reverent to and critical of the Judeo-Christian learnings. Consistently, people flock to movies about these familiar stories: Deadline reports that Warner Bros. is developing Pontius Pilate, a new film about the infamous New Testament figure, with superstar Brad Pitt circling for the title role.
The movie will take the unique approach of presenting the age old tale from the point of view of Pilate, which, if at all sympathetic to the character's plight, has the potential to earn it the scorn of some fundamentalists who might deem such a method defamatory to the name of Jesus. While in many cases controversy can be called a breeding ground for public attention, history has proven kinder to films with a more deferential attitude toward the material.
In 2004, Mel Gibson boosted his role as poster celebrity for Western Christianity with The Passion of the Christ, which earned overwhelming favor from Christian groups and grossed an impressive $378.8 million. The past decade has also introduced the high grossing The Chronicles of Narnia trilogy, which has been aligned (by supporters and condemners alike) with Christian themes and values. The three films in this series earned $291.7 million, $141.6 million, and $104.4 million, chronologically.
On the other side of the spectrum are films with a more controversial approach to the themes of the Bible, Jesus, and the religion itself. Most notably is Martin Scorsese's 1988 picture The Last Temptation of Christ, which, despite the celebrity of its beloved director, earned a meager $8.4 million at the box office. However, some more comedic examples have fared a bit better, including Life of Brian (which earned $20 million) Dogma (which earned $30.7 million).
So which path will Pitt's Pontius Pilate take, and will this be the determining factor in how well it is received? God only knows. Maybe if they give him a musical number....
Follow Matt Patches on Twitter @misterpatches
[Photo Credit: Newmarket Films; WENN]
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With only a few roles under her belt, Jessica Chastain has emerged has one of brightest stars in Hollywood, an actress who can slip into any role and layer it with an evocative performance. Her work in Zero Dark Thirty, the new film from Hurt Locker director Kathryn Bigelow, is no exception. Chastain raises the bar with her graceful approach to dark subject matters, as her character Maya is fully immersed (perhaps too much so) in the hunt for Osama bin Laden. According to Chastain, she doesn't share much in common with her operative counterpart.
"She's very different from me," Chastain tells Hollywood.com. "I'm a very emotional girl from Northern California [laughs]. The opposite of a woman in the CIA who is trained to be unemotional, analytically precise. Very different."
Although Chastain is convinced she doesn't have the cold edge to her personality that would make her fit for international intel gathering, she does consider herself an individual of immense concentration. That is, when she wants to be one. Chastain recalls being "very good at focusing" as a kid, but that it took a toll on her studies. "I was not a good student because I wasn't interested in it. But if there is something I'm really interested in, I could stay up all night reading a book or doing research. I will forget to eat. I love that kind of stuff."
Like Maya, Chastain approaches a script and her character much like an analyst, sifting through details to fully understand why she would play a particular scene in a particular way. She lights up at the mention of "specificity and details" and it's clear that, to best convey Maya's arc over the decade-long search, the actress had to toil over every word and every gesture. "I had to find and mark out the subtlety," Chastain says. "Same with this. I had to go subtly with each scene as I'm talking about 20 detainees recognize this photo of Abu Ahmed. Where is Maya at that point where I say that? How am I starting to lose myself and become obsessed with this?"
Chastain admits that Maya's occupational consumption was not easy to bring to life — but it was honest. "[The film] is true to the woman she was. She didn't have a personal life," the actress says. "Her whole focus was this mission. If we take a shot at the beginning of the film and a shot at the end of the film — it's like two different women." Chastain's boiled down assertion of Maya is spot on, speaking to why the role is so ferocious on screen. "She's not the same girl in that first scene when she was showing up in her suit for her first interrogation."
In the end, it's the challenges that keep Chastain coming back for more. Like a covert spy, the actress loves digging deep into the mind of her characters. Even when people are closed off to the outside world, they still feel. That's the key to Chastain's work in Zero Dark Thirty. "Just because she's trained to be unemotional doesn't mean — this is interesting for an actor to play — it doesn't mean they are unemotional. There can be things in there that she's constantly trying to not show."
Check out our entire interview with Jessica Chastain by watching the video above. Zero Dark Thirty is out in limited release now and opens wide on Jan. 11.
Follow Matt Patches on Twitter @misterpatches
[Photo Credit: Sony Pictures]
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The Hangover star has received a Best Actor nod for his role as a man struggling with mental health issues while his co-star, Jennifer Lawrence, is named in the Best Actress category.
Cooper faces tough competition for the award as he is going up against Oscar-winners Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln) and Denzel Washington (Flight), along with Joaquin Phoenix (The Master), Hugh Jackman (Les Miserables) and John Hawkes (The Sessions).
Nicole Kidman (The Paperboy) will face-off with her best friend Naomi Watts (The Impossible) for the Best Actress prize alongside Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty), Marion Cotillard (Rust and Bone) and veteran French actress Emmanuelle Riva (Amour).
Silver Linings Playbook is also up for Best Film, Best Screenplay and Best Direction for David O. Russell.
Argo, Les Miserables, Life of Pi, Lincoln and Zero Dark Thirty have all received nominations for the coveted Best Film prize.
President of the AACTA and Oscar-winner Geoffrey Rush says, "In this, the second year of the AACTA International Awards, we're delighted to build on the huge success of our inaugural event held in LA in January 2012. This year's nominees include actors, directors and screenwriters who truly represent international excellence...
"As the Australian Academy engages in the international Awards conversation, it's brilliant to see Australian performers and practitioners nominated alongside international talent... Indeed, the talents of Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Naomi Watts... stand on their own and will no doubt be honoured by our international screen peers."
The second annual AACTA International Awards ceremony will be held in Los Angeles later this month (Jan13), while the domestic leg of the show will be held in Sydney, Australia on 29 January (13).
The domestic nominees were announced last month (Dec12).

The drama, based on the real life hunt for terrorist leader Osama bin Laden, landed prizes for Best Film and Best Screenplay, while Bigelow was named Best Director and the film's star Jessica Chastain took the Best Actress honour.
Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master was also a big winner - Joaquin Phoenix was hailed as Best Actor, Philip Seymour Hoffman picked up the Best Supporting Actor trophy and Best Supporting Actress went to Amy Adams.
Both films are expected to be among big Oscar contenders when the nominations are announced on Thursday (10Jan13).
Other winners in Vancouver included Beyond The Black Rainbow, which scooped three awards (Best British Columbia Film/best Canadian Director/best Actor in a Canadian Film), Leos Carax's Holy Motors (Best Foreign Language Film) and Malik Bendjelloul's Searching For Sugar Man (Best Documentary).

MacFarlane and actress Emma Stone will list the leading nominations at an early morning press conference held at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
It's the first time an Oscars host has also presided over the nominations since 1972, when Charlton Heston took charge of both events.
Oscars experts predict a string of nominations for Les Miserables, Argo, Lincoln and Zero Dark Thirty.
Daniel Day-Lewis is a red hot favourite to pick up a Best Actor Oscar for his role in Lincoln, while Jessica Chastain and Jennifer Lawrence are expected to be the front-runners for Best Actress for their roles in Zero Dark Thirty and Silver Linings Playbook, respectively.

The thriller, which also features John Goodman, Bryan Cranston and Alan Arkin, was named Best Picture, while Chris Terrio picked up the Best Screenplay prize.
The Master was also a big winner among online critics - Paul Thomas Anderson picked up a trophy for Best Director, while Philip Seymour Hoffman was feted in the supporting actor category. Both are expected to be among the names read out when the Oscar nominations are announced on Thursday (10Jan13).
Others receiving accolades included Daniel Day-Lewis (Best Actor for Lincoln), Jessica Chastain (Best Actress for Zero Dark Thirty), Anne Hathaway (Best Supporting Actress for Les Miserables), and Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola (Best Original Screenplay for Moonrise Kingdom).
ParaNorman was named Best Animated Feature and Cloud Atlas and Skyfall also landed top technical prizes for editing and cinematography, respectively.
The results were announced on Monday (07Jan13).

It seems once the voters in the National Society of Film Critics were able to dry their eyes after watching Michael Haneke's gut-wrenching tearjerker Amour, they could see a clear winner. The French drama about an elderly couple (played masterfully by Emmanuelle Riva and Jean-Louis Trintignant) coping with end-of-life struggles, was named Best Picture. Additionally, both Haneke and Riva earned accolades for Best Director and Best Actress, respectively. The foreign-language film has continued to both win over and depress critics and moviegoers alike since winning the prestigious Palme d'Or at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.
In other categories, Oscar frontrunner Daniel Day-Lewis was named Best Actor by the National Society of Film Critics for his performance in Lincoln (the film's scribe Tony Kushner won for Best Screenplay), Matthew McConaughey was named Best Supporting Actor for his work in both Magic Mike and Bernie, and Amy Adams earned Best Supporting Actress for her powerhouse turn in The Master. (That film was also heralded with Best Cinematography.)
The National Society of Film Critics, which is composed of 60 of the nation's top critics, held their 47th annual awards meeting on Saturday, January 5 at Elinor Bunim Munroe Center at the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York City. Here is the complete list of winners, complete with the voting number results:
Best Picture1. Amour – 282. The Master – 253. Zero Dark Thirty – 18 Best Actor 1. Daniel Day-Lewis – Lincoln – 59 2. Denis Lavant – Holy Motors – 493. Joaquin Phoenix – The Master – 49 Best Actress1. Emmanuelle Riva – Amour – 50 2. Jennifer Lawrence – Silver Linings Playbook –423. Jessica Chastain – Zero Dark Thirty – 32 Best Supporting Actor1. Matthew McConaughey – Magic Mike, Bernie – 272. Tommy Lee Jones – Lincoln – 223. Philip Seymour Hoffman – The Master– 19 Best Supporting Actress1. Amy Adams – The Master – 342. Sally Field – Lincoln – 233. Anne Hathaway – Les Miserables – 13 Best Director1. Michael Haneke – Amour – 272. Kathryn Bigelow – Zero Dark Thirty – 242. Paul Thomas Anderson – The Master – 24 Best Screenplay1. Lincoln – Tony Kushner – 592. The Master – Paul Thomas Anderson – 273. Silver Linings Playbook – David O. Russell – 19 Best Cinematography 1. The Master – 602. Skyfall – 303. Zero Dark Thirty – 21 Best Nonfiction1. The Gatekeepers - 532. This Is Not a Film – 453. Searching for Sugar Man - 23 Experimental: This Is Not a Film
[Photo credit: Sony Pictures]
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The Help star trained at New York City's prestigious Juilliard School and moved to Los Angeles to make a name for herself, but she became so disillusioned with the offers she received, she contemplated dying her distinctive red hair blonde to try and boost her profile.
She explains, "There were a couple of times when I thought, 'Maybe I should dye my hair blonde?' I'm in L.A. and I'm thinking, 'Why can't I get an audition for a film?'
"Being a redhead and not having very conventionally modern looks, it was confusing for people and they didn't know exactly where to put me."
And she admits her lowest moment came after a pre-read session for hit U.S. hit show Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
She tells InStyle magazine, "That's not even the audition. It's the audition before the audition. I mean, what's going on! Yes, it irritated me that no one knew, or didn't care, what Juilliard was."

"I love my brother, I would hate to see him in harm's way. I was very sad when he enlisted... No one wants to see someone they love put in danger. My dad's also a fireman. I'm not happy about that. I'm proud, but it scares me." Jessica Chastain worries about her firefighter father and her brother, who serves in Iraq with the U.S. Armed Forces.

The actress once stepped out with another celebrity, but Chastain was so fearful about the possibility of being photographed she pledged never to have a famous boyfriend again.
She tells Britain's InStyle magazine, "I have a rule. No actors. I have dated an actor before, at Juilliard (acting school), but since then, I've only been on a couple of dates with one and I was so freaked out someone was going to take a picture of us, because they were famous.
"I realised I wanted just to be able to hang out with someone... And I didn't want to talk about the business, first of all. I love movies. But I love talking about them like when I was 15 years old. I'm a film fan, but I don't want to talk about auditions or what movie I'm gonna do. I find that so boring."
Chastain refuses to detail her current relationship, but adds, "If you fished around enough, you could find some information. To be honest, I never talk about it. Some people in the fashion world know, though."

Title

Played recurring role of an assistant DA named Sigrun Borg on NBC’s "Law & Order: Trial by Jury"

Cast as Brad Pitt’s wife in Terence Malick’s "The Tree of Life"

Co-starred with Shia LaBeouf and Tom Hardy in Prohibition-era Western "Lawless"

Appeared on the shows "ER" (NBC) and "Veronica Mars" (UPN)

Made Broadway debut in "The Heiress," based on Henry James novel Washington Square

Landed featured role in the drama "The Help," based on Kathryn Stockett’s 2009 novel

Played opposite Al Pacino in Oscar Wilde's controversial play "Salome" at the Wadsworth Theatre in Los Angeles, CA

Reprised title character in "Wilde Salome," based on Oscar Wilde’s 1891 tragic play, directed by and co-starring Al Pacino

During senior year at Juilliard, signed a contract with television producer John Wells to appear on some of his shows

Starred as a CIA analyst in Kathryn Bigelow directed "Zero Dark Thirty," based on the hunt for Osama bin Laden

Played a young version of Helen Mirren's character, a Mossad agent who hunted down a former Nazi doctor in 1960s East Germany, in "The Debt"

Cast as Anya in the Williamstown Theatre Festival production of "The Cherry Orchard"

Cast as Virgilia in the feature adaptation of Shakespeare's "Coriolanus," directed by Ralph Fiennes

Co-starred with Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in horror feature "Mama"

Made film debut as the title role in "Jolene"

Co-starred with Michael Shannon in "Take Shelter"

Voiced character of Gia in "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted"

Summary

With her piercing gaze and a commanding presence, it came as no surprise that Jessica Chastain went from being a relative newcomer to acting in high-profile roles opposite seasoned actors like Brad Pitt and Helen Mirren seemingly overnight. The classically trained actress jumpstarted her career with appearances on hit television dramas, before landing the lead role in "Jolene" (2008), which centered on a brave woman's 10-year journey across America. Chastain then made a huge leap onto the big screen with a memorable performance as a morally conflicted Nazi hunter in 1960s Berlin in the thriller, "The Debt" (2010). The following year, Chastain became a near constant presence on the festival circuit and a critical darling with lauded performances in Terrence Malick's meditation on the meaning of existence "The Tree of Life" (2011), the hugely successful adaptation of the novel "The Help" (2011), the disturbing psychodrama "Take Shelter" (2011) and the critically hailed action thriller "Zero Dark Thirty" (2012). These prestigious efforts, made by some of cinema's most acclaimed filmmakers and alongside some of the brightest stars, marked only the beginning for the exceptionally talented Chastain.

Name

Role

Comments

Marilyn

Grandmother

Accompanied her to 2012 Academy Awards

Juliet

Sister

Died at age 24

Jerri Chastain

Mother

Michael Hastey

Father

Gian Passi de Preposulo

Companion

Chastain confirmed relationship Feb. 12, 2013 on "Katie"

Education

Name

The Juilliard School

El Camino Fundamental High School

Notes

"I'm a very superstitious person. I'm walking onto the plane and my feet are on the lip of the plane. I have to do it every time before I fly...It started out because I was in New York on September 11. I freaked out and was terrified to fly. I used to do a little prayer outside the plane, and now I put my hands and my feet on the plane, and I think it'll be okay." – Chastain to Michael Shannon, Interview magazine, December 2011/January 2012